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See my perfectly good excuse for taking so long to update at the end of this chapter… enjoy!-

Chapter 26: Clouds Begin to Disappear

The slime was glowing a putrid purple and green. It seeped into the rich, red cloth, or it inched along, contaminating the sleek, wooden banister. The mysterious goo looked as if it came from the mouth of an extraterrestrial with chronic bronchitis. The wood began to hiss at its infectious touch.

"James You-Are-Going-To-Die-Very-Soon Potter!" snarled Remus. James cringed away from Remus's powerful yells and growls.

Sirius, however, guffawed. "Ha! Now that'd be an interesting middle name."

"It's not my fault, Moony!" James pleaded loudly (both he and Remus ignored Sirius), but his nose began to grow, ending to be four inches long, thanks to his Pinocchio Curse, disabling his ability to lie. Remus raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so maybe it is my fault that your bed is inhabited but an unnamable substance, but I didn't do it on purpose. His nose finally shrank back to its original shape and size.

"The problem is, though," Harry interrupted strongly, "that it's there and it won't come off."

Remus glared shrewdly at the other boys. "Scourgify!" he yelled, snapping his wand towards the gunk.

Nothing happened.

"We've already tried that, Moony," James chided as if speaking to a four-year-old. "We also tried vanishing it, banishing it, even transfiguring it, but nothing has worked—"

Remus, however, was not listening to James's prattle. Staring intently at the pulsing sludge, Remus fiddled with his wand. Abruptly, he whipped it towards the green and purple gook. "Incendio!" And the slime burnt away into nothing.

"I was just about to suggest that," smiled Sirius.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You know what? I don't care. I am just extremely tired. So, you know what I'm going to do right know, don't you? I'm going to sleep. A lot. No one even think about waking me up tomorrow morning. Good night," he finished with a tired sort of growl.

James, Harry, and Sirius all chuckled. "'Night, Moony," they chorused as they, too, climbed into their own scarlet-curtained beds. Minutes later, lights were out and all four boys were as sleepy as house-elves after just visiting a Peeves-wrecked room.

Why?

The words Hermione had fallen asleep to were It was Remus. And after her dreamless sleep, the word she woke up to was Why?... Why? Why what? Why Remus? Why Sirius? Why so bloody early in the morning?

As Hermione lightly placed her feet on the ground, still sitting in her bed, she caught a glimpse of the outside scenery. She did a double-take. Outside was a gorgeous scene playing before her eyes.

It was just after dawn. The sun had already poked its bald head from its hiding place behind the luscious mountains. Its gleam shone brightly on the lake, illuminating its dark depths so even the Giant Squid could be seen. The sunlight danced merrily over the once-gloomy treetops of the Forbidden Forest. Birds, including owls, were flocking in and out of the woods, and other animals shook the branches, though Hermione could not see them. The sun even reached Hagrid's little hut, which looked like a speck compared to the glorious mountains shining not so far away. The bright star in clear sky made sure all surroundings seemed suddenly bright and cheerful.

Seeing everything set aglow and the warm sun caressing her face, Hermione couldn't help but feel elevated and enlightened. After what seemed like an hour of mindless staring out of the window (and it might've been; there was no clock nearby and Hermione had found her watch mysteriously broken), Hermione remembered that she had woken up with worried thoughts. Ah, yes. Remus. Sirius. Why?

Why Remus?

She didn't mean for these thoughts to keep popping up. They just… had a mind of their own. But instead of fighting them, pushing them to the back of her mind (as she usually did), Hermione decided to follow them. It seemed as if there were two distinct voices…

Why not Sirius?

It'd be too hard.

Humph. Hermione hadn't expected that one…

Why would it be hard?

Because you'd be loving a dead man.

Oh.

Sirius, when you finally arrive back at your own time, will be dead. There is nothing you can do to change that. So wouldn't it be easier to just fancy Remus?

Since when do I go for the easy route? And besides, it isn't really love that you feel for Remus, is it? You sure it's not just a friendship? You sure it's not pity? Don't confuse those two with attraction.

Hold your hippogriffs! You must agree that Remus is attractive. He's just so cute, sweet, quiet, humble, kind, intelligent—

And Sirius isn't?

Quiet? Humble? No.

Deep down, he could be. And you know it.

……Am I arguing with myself inside my own head?

Looks like it, doesn't it?

Before Hermione could say… think—another word to herself, a strong wind violently shoved her forward, causing her to stumble out of her bed and crash onto the floor. Or was it the wind?

"PEEVES!" Hermione yelled, but the Poltergeist had already flown from the scene. She gingerly rubbed her head where it had painfully collided with the cold, wooden floors.

Rustling sounds echoed through the once-dead-silent room. Moments later, Saumya Kim poked her head out from her bed curtains with a curious look hiding behind her tangled mat of jet-black hair. Lily's entrance was a little less graceful.

"This isn't what it looks like, Professor!" Lily screamed out, wiping her mouth with her sleeve of her pink pajamas. She had tried to sit up and stand up at the same time, along with rolling out of her bed, and ended up smacking her forehead against one of her bed posts. After vigorous flailing, Lily finally managed to free herself from her bed sheets.

"This isn't what what looks like?" smirked Saumya. "It wouldn't have to do with a certain James Potter, would it?" She stood up, patted hair down, and walked over to get a glass of water. Lily glared after her, though her cheeks were tinted a lovely shade of rose.

"Of course not," Lily scoffed while fixing her already-perfect red locks, tucking it behind her ear. Saumya made a disbelieving guttural sound. Lily, however, chose to ignore it, and turned her focus towards Hermione. "Hermione, you look exhausted. Did you not sleep well?" She had on a face of concern.

"No, no I didn't," sighed Hermione. "And now, thanks to Peeves, I won't be able to fall asleep again."

"Well, I won't be able to either," said Lily. "But what is there to be unhappy about? It's the holidays! Christmas will be here soon, won't it?" Saumya let out a whoop of excitement in the background. "Why not go down and get some breakfast? Might as well eat since we're awake. And the Great Hall will be emptier, too, with most of the students gone. Screaming little buggers," she finished with a grumble.

"Lily!" Saumya gasped. "Language…"

Hermione smiled, pushing her thoughts back into the corners of her mind once more. "That sounds like a good idea."

Fifteen minutes later, all three girls were showered, dressed, and out the door, on their way to breakfast.

Remus and Sirius were, surprisingly, the first to wake up in their dormitory.

Sirius struggled as he climbed out of his bed. The previous night had not been comfortable, seeing as he had a bunch of strings hanging from midair controlling his movements. After victoriously stepping out of his bed, Sirius was amazed to find Remus bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He was coming back from the washroom, showered, dried, and was already wearing the new day's clothes… except for his shirt. Remus was still wearing his pajama shirt that Sirius had given him a year previous. With white lettering on a black background, it read: "My bite is worse than my bark."

"Brilliant shirt there, Moony," Sirius snickered.

"Shut it," Remus said, opposite of his words, cheerfully. He turned his back on Sirius to get a clean sweater from his trunk. While Remus stood, shirtless, searching for his black sweater (Sirius had tried to scrape off the slime with that particular sweater last night), Sirius spotted the marks on his friend's back. There were still the faint claw marks and the dull yellow bruises, shaped like a hoof. This triggered something in Sirius's mind. With rapid speed, he went from thinking about werewolves, to full moons, to the Shrieking Shack, to yesterday's trip to that bloody house… to Hermione.

"So… Did you have… er—a good time yesterday?" asked Sirius slowly, biting back his accusations and anger. He leaned against the post of his bed, the wooden boards directing his movement.

Remus let out a frustrated growl, but not to Sirius. "Where's my black sweater?" Casting his eyes around the room (James's and Sirius's side was the messiest), he spotted it crumpled next to James's bed. It had an odd stench seeping from its deeply folded layers. Sighing, Remus went back to his trunk and pulled out a navy-blue sweater. He pulled it over his head, causing his hair to become charged with static. He hurriedly patted his light brown locks. "Yesterday? You mean at Hogsmeade?" Sirius nodded. "…It was great. Possibly one of the best visits in a long time."

Sirius tried to hold back his growl, and ended making a gurgling sound in the back of his throat.

"What was that?" Remus asked absentmindedly, slipping a pair of wool socks over his frozen feet.

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking about that trip to the Shrieking Shack that Evans dragged us off to," Sirius said, feigning a nonchalant air. He scratched the back of his neck to add to the effect.

"You know, I didn't mind it so much that time," said Remus after a long pause. One look at Remus's dreamily-dazed face, and Sirius couldn't hold himself back for much longer.

"Who would with Hermione draped all over them," Sirius muttered crossly.

Remus's head poked up, peaked with interest. "Dost my ears deceive me?" he said with an unfitting smirk. "Is wee little Siri jealous?"

"Of what?" snapped Sirius.

Remus stood up and set a penetrating stare into his friend's pale-grey eyes. "You tell me."

"I. Asked. You." Sirius's face was stonily set. Each boy were so set into this deep staring contest that neither of them noticed that Harry had just woken up, from the sounds of a yawn and the rustling of bed sheets.

Remus just laughed. "Afraid that she might have feelings for yours truly?"

Sirius scoffed. "Don't get cocky. She just felt bad for you."

Amazingly enough, Remus kept his cool. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Telling myself?" Sirius repeated, outraged. "You've got it all wrong! She pities you. Yes, you being the werewolf for all your life. But me, she fancies me! She said to me, during that trip to Hogsmeade, that—" But what Hermione had said, Remus did not find out. Sirius was raising his voice too loudly, ending with the final Marauder waking up.

"Ooooh… I'm gonna kill you two," issued a sort of mumble from James's bed. The sound of flesh being stretched like rubber was audible during that moment of silence: James's nose had grown four inches. The curtains billowed for a moment, from movement inside, before James burst through. He glared around, bleary-eyed, partially from lack of eyeglasses, but mostly from being awakened at an hour which did not agree with him so well. He blindly searched around his nightstand table for his specs. Apparently, he hadn't noticed his nose yet, even as he slipped on his black frames. "What time is it?" James growled towards Remus.

Harry popped his head from his curtains, also. Opposite of James, his eyes were wide-eyed and already framed with his specs. He had a dead stare aimed straight at Sirius and Remus. He had heard their argument over Hermione. He slowly stepped out of bed.

Remus looked away from Sirius furious face to the face of his watch. "Almost noon," he informed James.

"Mmmm, breakfast," James slurred.

"Lunch," whispered Harry. Although, his eyes never wavered away from Remus and Sirius.

"Mmmm, lunch." James pulled on a clean pair of pants and semi-clean sweatshirt. Without another word he strolled forward, stumbling into his shoes and left the room, never noticing his lengthy nose.

Remus and Sirius shot each other a deadened look, which plainly spoke "We're not finished yet." They took a step towards the door, Sirius's joints creaking aloud. But Harry intervened them, blocking their exit. Oddly, his face was as grave as the other two's were. Sirius was about to snap a witty remark when Harry hit him with a deadly silencing glare.

"I want to get something straight with you two." Harry's voice held no form of jest or fooling, not even a friendly tone. "Hermione. You need to stay away from her. No, I'm serious," Harry said at Sirius's eye roll. "You cannot have feelings for her. But, more importantly, she cannot have feelings for you. Either of you. When we go back to our time, it could change my entire future, of Hermione's. You wouldn't want to be responsible for sending us to a different timeframe, would you?"

"But what about right now?" interrupted Sirius. "She deserves someone, especially when she's away from her usual life. Let her make her own choice. Who are you to dictate her life?"

"I am a friend," Harry said abruptly. He began to advance towards Remus and Sirius. They stepped backwards, Sirius stumbling over his marionette strings. "I'm a friend who is looking out for her. A friend who doesn't want to see her get hurt."

"Harry, you know we would never hurt her," Remus started weakly, seeing as Harry had taken a breath.

"On purpose," Harry corrected. He sighed, and with his outtake of breath, all his deep fury and hostility left his face, body, and voice. He took a step back from Remus and Sirius and said weakly with a pleading tone, "Just… be careful." Casting his eyes to his left shoe, Harry nodded once, and left straight away. Remus and Sirius said not a word but avoided eye contact as they followed Harry and James to lunch.

"I have an announcement to make… Attention!"

Headmaster Dumbledore clicked his wand to his goblet. For the students who were already looking at him, they spotted his drink inside that particular goblet suddenly burst into a kind of fire-smoke before it diffused into the air. Dumbledore smiled, peered into the goblet, chortled, and gazed back to his one hundred and forty-two students. They students who noticed his actions chuckled, too.

The Great Hall had indeed changed for the holidays. All the House tables were shortened a great deal to make room for the colossal Christmas trees lining the walls, and one off-center near the door. They were set aglow with faerie lights and ornaments of all colours, each topped with a golden star. The number of students, indeed, had been reduced. Instead of the usual one thousand students, only one hundred and forty-two occupied the four House tables. As Lily had said, the noise level had died down a considerable amount.

"I was informed yesterday evening that a teacher had been injured by two students sliding down on of Hogwart's stair banisters." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled over to the Marauders innocently sitting in the middle of the Gryffindor table. James and Sirius snickered. "It seems that Professor Smirch had sprained her wrist over this accident. So therefore, I am forced to decree a new Hogwart's rule:" (he sighed with a slight upturn on his lips) "There will be no more stair-rail sliding permitted here. Thank you." The Headmaster returned to his seat.

Most of the Hogwarts students had already guessed that it was the Marauders, and turned their heads towards the Gryffindor table. James and Sirius stood up from their seats and called out "Thank you. Thank you!" All their classmates (not belonging to Slytherin, of course) let a chorus of laughter; some even clapped their hands. Sirius, loving the attention, exclaimed, "I'd like to note that this is the four hundred and forty-second rule changed by the Marauders. Thank you!" Before he could add in another word to his beloved audience, Remus, sitting beside his friend while shaking his head, yanked Sirius down back to his seat. Nearby Gryffindors laughed.

"Thank you, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said politely. Turning to the rest of his pupils, he stated with his wrinkled smile, "Dig in."

Food appeared on the serving dishes. As Harry helped himself to some of the meat pie, he looked questionably at the Marauders. "You've changed four hundred and forty-two of Hogwart's rules?"

Saumya, sitting next to Lily (sitting across from James), added, "There are more than four hundred and forty-two school rules?"

James feigned a shocked air. "Of course there are! The Marauders' plan is to have some part in at least half of the school rules here by the end of our seventh year." He smiled smugly into his bangers and potatoes.

"And how many more do you have to 'affect'?" Harry asked.

"Around forty-nine, if the rate stays the same," answered James.

"Rate?" said Saumya.

"Yeah, if no one else changes school-rules along with us, we should have our goal be accomplished by the middle of next year," said James with a business-like air.

"What would you say was your most productive making-new-rules year?" questioned Harry. No one had ever mentioned all the rules at Hogwarts the Marauders had changed, so why not learn about it first hand?

James pondered on this one. After his mouthful of potatoes, he mumbled out, "Probably third year." He swallowed. "Because we finally had the ability and the publicity (not to mention the name 'Marauders'). We knew enough spells and we were finally all really close friends by then." Meaning that they knew and had accepted Remus's lycanthropy, Sirius and James were the closest of friends (No fights about families, as had happened in their first year), and Peter was finally part of the gang.

Hermione didn't feel the need to be part of the conversation, so she began to fiddle with something on her lap. It was Remus's battered jacket that he had lent her the previous day at Hogsmeade. She had planned to return it to him yesterday, but she felt she needed time to mull things over. And just when she thought she had made up her mind, and to keep it until he asked for it, she found herself carrying it to the Great Hall during lunch.

Across the table from Hermione was Remus. He, too, was not at all interested at hearing of the Marauders' past achievements, so he set his gaze upon his food, and on Hermione. He noticed her fidgeting and quietly asked her what was on her mind.

She looked up, adding the sparkle into her eyes once more. "I just wanted to thank you for lending me your jacket yesterday," she found herself saying. Even more surprising was when she handed over the table Remus's jacket. She gave him a smile. Even more, she knew it was the right thing to do. She just couldn't put her finger on the reason, though.

Remus, wide-eyed, took the jacket and laid it on the bench beside him. He watched as Hermione began to cheerfully eat her food. This doesn't mean anything, Remus's mind said at once. It just means that she wanted me to have my jacket again… Of course. So why was there a part of his brain nagging at him? It was screaming a name. A name…

Sirius watched the short scene between Hermione and Remus from a slight distance away. His face broke into a grin as he watched Hermione brightly eating away at her food. She must have sensed his gaze, for she turned her shining face towards his. Her lips upturned before returning to her lunch. Sirius knew this had to mean something, Hermione returning Remus's jacket. But then again, wearing-a-boy's-jacket-which-could-stand-for-a-relationship was just used in books and stories, wasn't it?

"Oy! Siri! Pass the salt," said James loudly from beside Sirius. He was waving his hand in front of Sirius's face to grab his friend's attention. Sirius snapped out of his thoughts and winced at his friend's booming voice in his ear.

"All right, all right… Hold your Hippogriffs," grumbled Sirius. With a jerky movement, he snagged the pepper that lay next to the salt and shoved it into James's impatient hand.

James looked down at the pepper, releasing a heavy sigh. He closed his hand into a fist and knocked against Sirius's head as if it were a door, and waved the unwanted pepper in front of his friend's face. "Hello? Sergeant Pepper? I don't care about your lonely heart right now. All I care about is getting some salt! Think and space out on your own time, won't you?"

Sirius growled, pushed the pepper over to James. "Funny, I thought this was my own time… Apparently not; all time revolves around James Potter." He feigned a gracious bow, smiling the entire time.

"And what else would it revolve around?" James added with a wink.

Lily rolled her eyes in such an obvious way that James could hardly fail to notice. He opened his mouth to comment, but at the last moment (and after a sharp jab in the ribs from Sirius) he remembered that she was the cure to his Pinocchio Curse. Therefore, he shut his mouth and gave Lily a sarcastic smile. She mirrored him and returned to her meal.

James and Sirius were meandering down the corridors later that day after dinner, seeking for something mischievous to do. Remus and Harry were in a heated game of wizard chess, for they had been going at it for almost an hour. Lily and Hermione were in the library reading up on some boring fact that caused no interest to arise inside the two wandering Marauders. So then James and Sirius strutted down the halls, laughing their heads off at past pranks, but were also keeping an eye out for teachers or Slytherins.

Moments later, a horde of Slytherins came out of the corridor to the left of James and Sirius and started to walk in front of them. None of them noticed the Gryffindors, which gave James and Sirius an advantage. Grinning at each other wickedly, both boys got ready for the battle. James sent a tiny Shock Spell aimed at the bottom of a Slytherin who turned out to be a fifth year named Lars Tornqvist. He jumped in mid step.

"What the hell was that?" James heard him say. The dumbfounded Slytherin looked wildly around until his eyes came to a rest on James and Sirius. "What did you two do?" Tornqvist growled stupidly. To say simply, Lars Tornqvist was big and stupid.

James stared with round doe-eyes behind his spectacles. "Do? We didn't do anything, did we, Padfoot?"

"No, I don't think we did, ole Prongs," said Sirius, although his smirk gave it away.

Another Slytherin, this time a girl who looked as if she had run head first into a solid wall, spoke. "You boys need to learn your manners. I think we'll be the ones to teach you. Sliticus!"

A hot jet of blood-red light came forth from her wand and slashed James across his chest. He looked down at the blood seeping through his white school shirt. Wincing, he lifted his arm, tapped his own wand against his stomach, and the wound and blood disappeared, though it seemed as if it were a painful process. As James started to breathe heavy, Sirius turned his gaze back to the Slytherins, the hate and fury burning brightly in his grey eyes. They were snickering. Without giving them a chance to prepare, Sirius struck the front row of the gang with a Bat Bogey Hex. They all shrieked as the gross, yellow-green goo flew across the corridor and straight onto their faces. They retaliated with a round of consecutive spells, each causing a spasm of pain in the two Gryffindors.

"Why don't we keep this light and friendly, hm?" jested Sirius as he ducked a violent violet jet of magic. With a flick of his wand, two of the Slytherins had been transformed into soft, fluffy kittens.

"Meow!" And the kittens scampered away.

"Light? You say you want this battle light?" a Slytherin named Wilkes shouted out about the mayhem. "All right, wish granted." Moments later, in place of where a masculine James was a very feminine looking James. They had transfigured his clothes into a "Little Bo Peep" costume. Through the laughter rang another spell: "Tarantallegra!"

If James in a dress made the Slytherins laugh, it was nothing compared to what played before their eyes next. James, hit with the dancing curse, started to flail about uncontrollably. Sirius tried to move out of James's way, but his marionette strings altered his agility. And James danced right into Sirius's puppet strings, entangling both of them.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" said Wilkes with a grin. The spell lifted the disheveled Gryffindors up higher and higher until the top of Sirius's marionette bars were level with a torch hanging on the wall. Then they dropped, and the strings became hooked on the torch holder. James and Sirius were hanging fourteen feet above the pack of Slytherins. Sirius let out a bark and a whine of pain.

"I think we should just leave them there, don't you?" Wilkes asked a girl beside him. "Adds to the décor, doesn't it?" After reviving and returning their friends back to their original states, the mass of students clad in green left the scene howling away.

Both Sirius and James turned their heads to look at each other.

"You win some, you lose some," Sirius said almost apologetically.

"Shut it," James said moodily. Minutes later, he said, "This position is really uncomfortable." The strings were wrapped around his wrists, waist, and upper legs, and that was all that was suspending him. So, to say at the very least, the circulation in all his limbs was cut off. Not to mention that he was still wearing a dress, and passersby below, if in the right position, could see his frilly knickers.

"You're telling me!" growled Sirius. "These strings are connected to my skin! And you're not a light lad to hold up, you know." Again, they had a long pause during which they tried to get out of the sticky situation. Magic wouldn't unhook them, as they found out. Through his panting, Sirius groaned, "That's it! I'm cutting off your supplies of pumpkin pasties!"

James was about to retaliate when someone came walking down the corridor. He was about to call out for help when he saw who it was. Sneaking down the hall, keeping to the shadows, was a pale, greasy haired boy with a green and silver scarf wrapped around his neck. His hooked nose protruded into the light as he inched along the corridor.

Snape had heard voices, and slowed his pace. Seeing no one in the corridor, he walked normally again, that is, until he caught sight of the two Gryffindors hanging on the wall. Then he burst into silent gales of laughter, almost falling on the floor.

"Keep walking, Mime," spat James.

Snape looked up, wiping a tear from his whole-hearted laughter. He spent a few more moments laughing at James and Sirius before he stuck his hands in his pockets and started to shuffle away with an obnoxiously content grin on his face. Before he was completely out of range, Sirius took his wand and sent a Trip Jinx to the Slytherin's feet. Snape stumbled, shot one last glare at Sirius and James, and continued to walk out of sight.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck up here?" asked Sirius, his tone blasé.

James looked at his friend to answer his friend, but was sidetracked by something else. "Hey Padfoot… Did you notice that you have a bunch of purple ribbons in your hair?"

Sirius inched his hand up to his head, patted his hair, and closed his eyes as if in great pain. "I have come to the conclusion that I hate Slytherins."

"No kidding."

Both boys were hanging up there for a few minutes before they tried again to untangle themselves. James tried to slide out from the painful grip of the strings, but ended in a worse position. "It's a good thing we're really close friends," huffed James, "or else this would be incredibly embarrassing and quite uncomfortable position."

"Don't think that I prefer your head down there, Prongs," snapped Sirius. "'Cause it ain't no walk in the park for me right now, either."

And, much to the dismay of the two Marauders, the situation got worse. They were unfortunately hanging in a common corridor; many people passed by and had to add a witty comment, never helping the two mischief-makers. One time, a large group of first year boys walked past and gawked at James and Sirius. One even dared to whisper to his friend, "I've never seen gay guys in action before." As they walked away, Sirius yanked out one of his ribbons and threw it at the head of that kid.

Another group of seventh year Hufflepuffs walked past, some whistled at the sight of James. One even conjured up a bouquet of flowers and levitated them up to James, pretending to blush furiously. This time it was James's turn to throw something at them as they left: his flowers.

The next group of students to walk past consisted of three sixth year girls, Hermione being among them. Katie from Ravenclaw and Novia from Gryffindor were the other two girls, and were so deep into their conversation that they didn't notice James and Sirius. Hermione, though, looked up and spotted them right as the girls passed the two boys. She gawked and was about to make a remark, but Katie pulled her along the corridor, never seeing the two helpless boys.

"I can't believe she didn't say anything," said Sirius, sounding far more hurt than angry.

"Well, maybe she isn't suppose to change anything while she's here," said James lightheartedly. "Maybe this moment is pivotal in our life." His tone grew more serious, though it was had to tell if he was joking or not. "This might affect everything in our lives later on. It could spell out what's going to happen to the rest of our lives."

Sirius stayed silent. "So you're coming out, eh?…. I always thought you liked girls, though, Prongs."

"What?" James asked dumbly. "I do—" Realization hit him. "EW! That's just gross, Sirius!"

"Eh heh, just had to lighten the mood," Sirius said with a shrug. "Anyways, I need something to keep my mind off the pain."

"Ahem."

Sirius and James looked down. Professor McGonagall was standing almost right underneath them.

"What are you two doing?" she snapped.

"Er—just hanging around," said Sirius with a slight smile.

"Clearly." McGonagall massaged her temples. "I don't think I even want to know how you two came into this position. Am I right in saying that this is the outcome of a fight you two started with a group of Slytherins?"

"We never started anything!" James shouted indignantly. His nose began to grow.

"Potter… why is your nose four inches long?" asked McGonagall slowly, as if dreading the answer.

"Ole Snivellus hit us with a curse yesterday that has similar qualities to the factors of Pinocchio the Marionette who wanted to become a real boy," James said, growing tired of this story. His nose grew back to normal length. "This curse has forced my nose to grow every time I tell a lie, and my counterpart here has the physical appearance of a marionette. And we are stuck in this painful position, have been for quite some time, and would like to get out of it very soon."

"Finite Incantatem," snapped McGonagall, flicking her wand. Nothing happened.

"Oh, right," James said. "Snape also made sure that Lily Evans was the only person that could remove the curse off of us." McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "It's true. See? My nose isn't growing." His nose stayed the same length as he pointed to it with his finger.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she sighed, and James and Sirius floated down peacefully. Sirius collapsed on the ground and started to nurse his poor joints. James, on the other hand, was ready to bolt away from McGonagall. "Before you two scamper off," said Professor McGonagall at once, reading James's mind, "I am to remind you two that you both have an appointment with Professor Smirch after dinner from your little incident yesterday on the stairs." Pausing to look at her watch, she continued. "You are both late as of ……. right now."

"Bloody hell!" James started to run down a set of stairs to the dungeons. Sirius let the Pinocchio magic pull him onto his feet, but he winced anyways He also tried to run, but tripped over one of the puppet strings, and ended up tumbling down the flight of stairs.

McGonagall, once again, rubbed her forehead. "And they are two of the brightest students I've seen in years… What is Hogwarts coming to?"

It rained later that night.
(A/N: All of thefollowing scenes take place at roughly the same time.)

The next day, Lily was walking back to Gryffindor Tower alone. Lunch had ended a few hours ago, yet there were still a few hours left until dinnertime. Hermione asked to be alone in the library as she did some research. Sure, Lily was a tad bit hurt that her friend was hiding something from her, but being a respectful friend, Lily left. To clear her mind, she decided to curl up next to the fire and quietly read one of her favourite Muggle books: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Lily entered the common room. Her plan was to walk up the back stairs, retrieve her book from her dormitory, come back and read by herself. Intervening with her strategy was a tiny factor: a tall, jet-black haired, and bespectacled boy that stood up from his spot on the floor by the fire at Lily's entrance. Lily and James looked at each other for a moment. Lily abruptly turned away from James and made towards the portrait hole again, trying for a quick exit.

"Wait!" James called out weakly. He had been sitting on the floor by the fireplace, mulling things over in his mind. At first, he was cursing his Pinocchio Curse, but found it could help him out. As he was thinking that, Lily had entered. It's about time I spoke my thoughts, thought James as Lily spotted him. And use this curse to my advantage… Lily stopped, mid-stride, though she didn't turn to face him. James let out a feeble chuckle. "Do I really smell that bad?"

Lily groaned as she spun on her heel. "Is there anything you want, Potter? Or do we have to get into another row? Because, you know what? I don't feel like arguing right now."

"Then don't," said James automatically.

"Good. I'm glad we agree on that." Lily started towards the hole again.

"Lily Evans… you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met."

She stopped, paused, and looked at James. He was standing there, plain as day, waiting for her reaction. She gave him the indication signaling that she was completely confused. James chuckled.

"I'd love to snog Peeves," lied James. His nose grew. As it lengthened, understanding reached Lily's eyes. What he had said at first was completely true to him, and it brought a twinkle to Lily's eyes. James smiled and continued.

"But, seriously, you are—amazing," said James softly. (His nose grew back to normal.) "Your hair by itself is a miracle," he started out, giving a little chuckle. "The way it moves and bounces with each of your steps. And your eyes. Oh, don't get me started on those emeralds shining through your face. It is as if an angel touched your eyes with her sparkling wand."

Lily smiled. "James, angels don't have wands."

But James's face never faltered. "And that is what makes your eyes so special…And it's not just your looks, but your personality, your essence that makes you perfect." Slowly, as he purred all of this truth out of him, Lily glided little by little across the room to a chair to sit in, and she chose one near James. "The way you hold yourself every passing day just shows how strong and bold you are, emotionally and physically. And seeing you everyday, walking your gorgeous walk or talking that entrancing talk, yeah, sure, it makes me want to snog you senseless—but," James said before Lily had a chance to roll her eyes, "more importantly, it makes me just want to stand at your side. Just to talk with you would make me happier than you can imagine."

Both teenagers smiled warmly, almost shyly, at each other. James stared into Lily's bright, captivating eyes. To the surprise of James, he found them staring right back into his own, with no hint of anger, annoyance, or concealment. Cocking her head to a side and giving a silent chortle, Lily asked tenderly, "You have become quite the gentleman, James."

James's grin grew wider.

Harry was speeding down the halls of Hogwarts in search of a bushy-haired girl. While looking in classrooms and other corridors, he was blathering quietly to himself: "What was that girl thinking? She must be out of her mind! Crazy loon…" And this went on and on in Harry's mind after he had found out what Hermione had done the previous night.

Flashback-

Harry and Lily were walking through the halls later that night. They were both discussing their theories on how no one at Hogwarts became completely overweight with all the food they eat. They were laughing all the way back to the common room and were still chuckling as they stepped through the portrait hole. But as Harry spotted the scene inside the common room, his laughter stopped dead.

Sirius and Hermione were sitting on the couch, facing away from the fire. Only their heads were showing, and both had a face and grin of a child. Sirius's wand was also dangling over the edge of the couch, and it was aimed at an innocent first year sitting across the common room. The little boy was trying to write something down on his piece of parchment in front of him, but it kept on flying out of his reach, or fell to the floor every time he went to touch it. Harry looked back at Sirius and Hermione. They were both snickering. Harry did a double-take. Hermione was laughing… at someone playing a trick on someone else. That was not Hermione at all.

"Finite," said Lily boldly, casting the spell to the little boy's paper. He looked up at her and blushed, giving a meek "Thank you." Lily smiled at him, then glared at Sirius, whose head disappeared behind the back of the couch, though the marionette boards hanging over his head were still visible. Hermione let out a high-pitched giggle; Lily raised her eyebrows at her friend, who, too, shrank under Lily's gaze. The prefect girl just rolled her eyes and said her good-bye to Harry. Before Harry could storm over to Sirius and Hermione (who were still hiding behind the couch, doing God knows what) and after Lily left, Sirius called out to Harry, "Prongs wanted to see you upstairs, Thewler." Harry left with a glare.

End Flashback-

"It wasn't even that funny of a prank!" growled Harry. Letting out a frustrated howl, he turned another corner.

Hermione had been walking back from the library with a several novels in her arms. She had checked out a few books on time-travelling that she hadn't read during her summer before her third year: The Time-Trekker's Guide to Eternity (It's OK to Panic Because You Can Change Your Mind Later) By Adam Douglas; How To Master the Art of Do-Overs (Recommended by the author of Zen and the Art of Time-Machine Maintenance); and The Joy of Time-Travel: How to Finish Before You Even Start By Procas T. Nator. As Hermione passed a window, she stopped and gazed outside.

The rain had cleared up from the night before and left the grounds sparkling with dew. The grounds themselves seemed particularly muddy, though, and the lake was filled to the brim. However, the sky was clear and the sun was faintly shining, although there were a few cool wisps of clouds looming from a distance. While Hermione was enjoying the view, she felt someone step up beside her.

"It looks clear outside, doesn't it?" Hermione asked Remus, her eyes never wavering from the scene outside. "I mean, it's just that yesterday it was all cloudy and filled with fog… but now it's gone."

Remus cast his eyes away from Hermione, and with a puzzled air, he stared out the window. He noticed the few wisps of fog hovering over the lake and the bottom of the mountains. "I'm not so sure… It doesn't seem clear enough to be called crystal."

"Well, I can see things clearly out there," said Hermione stubbornly.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Remus softly. "It may seem like it at first, but once the wind moves the fog, you might see something else."

"And what will I see, then?" Hermione turned her gaze from the window to give Remus a warning yet uncertain look. He stared right back at her, his eyes set with apprehension and determination.

It is here. Finally I have my chance to show him and teach him a lesson he won't forget any time soon. I shall leave my mark upon him and I won't let him forget it. …Ah, vengeance is sweet, oh so sweet. I will ridicule him with this until the end of his days… as soon as I can speak—

"SNIVELLUS! You put me back inside RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

"Or else what? What are you going to do, act like a puppet for us?"

Regulus Black and Severus Snape were standing at the window of one of Hogwart's highest towers. Both were snickering, though Snape's was silent because the Mime Hex that James and Sirius had bestowed upon the Slytherin was still in play. Snape and Regulus were combining their efforts to hold a particularly heavy object outside the window so it would dangle in the wind: Sirius Black the Marionette.

"Put me back inside!" growled Sirius again.

"You know, I don't think we will," sneered Regulus, twirling Sirius's wand in his hands.

"But, Regulus, what did I ever do to you?" asked Sirius, trying a new approach instead of yelling. "We're brothers, aren't we? You wouldn't want to cause your own brother this much pain, would you?"

Regulus faltered, his grip tightened on the wooden planks holding Sirius up. His face then became set as he glanced at Snape. "You're not my brother anymore, are you? Not since Mother disowned you."

Sirius's face became cold again, though neither of the Slytherins could see it. "Let's get something straight, pipsqueak. I left Mother. I left Father. I left the Blacks. No one disowns a Black unless it's me, and I had had enough of all that rot you speak of."

"And look where's it has lead you," snarled Regulus. He gave a tug on the marionette strings. "You are continuously fighting with family and people who were once your friends. Your friends you have now are a joke. You're even pathetically chasing after some Mudblood freak. Mother's is right, you are just a pathetic, lost boy who's going to fail miserably at life."

Sirius let himself grin through all his brother's prattle. "At least I'm still not a mama's-boy."

James and Lily were both sitting by the crackling fire place. They had been staring deeply, almost lovingly, at each other for what seemed like eternity. Every now and then James would break the silence with another incredibly romantic comment about Lily. She would sit their silently taking in all the wonderful things saying about her. Also, gazing at James, she would try to fit all the emotions that were flying like mad around her head into one category.

"The way you always have a sense of right and responsibility, and you stay loyal to your beliefs, it's amazing that all the guys aren't all over you. What astounds me even more than that is the fact that you always act on your values with such a courageous attitude."

"And you see all this inside me?" Lily asked quietly. "Even after I yell at you and treat you like the dirt beneath my feet?" She had to look away from James.

James smiled. "Of course I see all this. I deserved every single insult you have given me over the past six years." His nose grew four inches longer. "Well, there was one time where it really was Snape's fault," (his nose shrank to normal size) "but I'll not get into that right now. I just wanted you to know because… I think you underestimate how truly remarkable you really are."

Lily looked back at James. He was surprised to find that tears had started to form in her shining green eyes. James hesitated, but started to inch his hand towards her smooth face. She looked warily at his large hands, but put down her defenses. He wiped away her tears.

Sniffing, Lily managed to say, "You, yourself, James, are a pretty nice, and quite unpredictable guy." She reached forward and ruffled his hair with a lopsided grin on her face, which spread onto James's face at her touch. Giving one last sniff, she reclaimed herself, hoping that the tears would end. "But I don't want you always using this curse just to get on my good side. That wouldn't be fair now, would it?" James smiled. Lily pulled out her wand and tapped James on the head. "So…Finite Incantatem!"

In the middle of Snape and Regulus's taunts aimed at Sirius, they suddenly found the weight extremely light. They both looked out the window to see Sirius falling down the side of the tower. Both Slytherins shrugged, acted as if nothing had happened, and rushed away from the scene of the crime at top speed.
"I've got no strings, to hold me down, an actors life for me! Whee!" sang Sirius as he raced towards the ground. Something hit him, though not the ground (not yet). How was he going to stop himself from crashing into the ground… if Regulus still had his, Sirius's, wand?
"I think I can see things perfectly, Remus, thank you very much," snapped Hermione. "For once, I think that things are being to become clear."

"What is it that you're trying to say, Hermione?" growled Remus, frustrated with her metaphoric talk, which is what he assumed it to be. He stepped away from her side and stood right in front of her, between her and the window. "Look. I can tell that you aren't interested in the weather… Is there something on your mind that you'd like to straight out say?"

"Sirius!" Hermione squealed.

"Ah ha!" said Remus victoriously. "I knew it!"

"No," Hermione said exasperatingly. "Sirius is falling down the tower outside!" She pushed Remus from in front of her and ran to the window. It was true. Sirius was diving straight towards the muddy ground. She whipped out her wand and….

"I've got no strings to hold me down… but I wish I had them now… Oh, ouch!" whined Sirius. He was sprawled out in a large pile of mud, his leg in an odd position that told him it was broken. That, and the fact that he was in excruciating pain. He had felt, though, a half-second before he hit the ground, a form of magic tug on him. It didn't help much, now, did it?

"Oh my gosh! Sirius! Are you okay?" Hermione cried out as she came running towards the limp Sirius. Remus was a while away, jogging behind her and looking worried. Hermione slid down in the mud right next to Sirius. "Are you all right?" she asked tenderly.

Sirius smiled. "I'm all right."

"Oh, no you're not," said Hermione, casting a look at his leg.

"Oh, that?" Sirius prodded his lifeless leg. "Yeah, that's pretty bad. But other than that, I'm fine. I'm just glad you're here."

Remus finally reached Sirius. "How're you doing, mate?" he asked, a crease between his eyebrows.

"I'm right chuffed," Sirius said sarcastically with his usual smile. "I think I broke my leg. I'm freezing in this damn cool mud…. And I think I just ruined my hair." He lifted his mud-coated hand to his hair. "Yes, it's full of mud and flobberworms." He pulled out a handful of just that. "Gross." Looking up to his friends with pathetic and pained eyes, he asked meekly, "You think you could help me up to Madam Pomfrey's?"

"Come on," Remus said, holding out his hand. Sirius took hold as Hermione grabbed him around the waist. Together, Remus and Hermione dragged Sirius all the way up to the Hospital Wing.

"Why couldn't the Marauders have invented their Map after we got here?" whined Harry. He was tired of looking for Hermione and tired of walking around Hogwarts nattering like a mental patient. He rounded another corner to hear some more voices. Recognizing one of them, Harry ran ahead to confirm his thoughts.

"Come on, Sirius, don't pass out on us. We're almost there," Hermione kept on repeating as she and Remus helped Sirius. She would slap Sirius lightly in the face to keep him awake. "How much farther are we?" she panted to Remus.

Remus nodded his head forward. At the end of the corridor was the Hospital Wing.

"What happened?" asked Harry, running up to his friends.

"Sirius here fell from God knows how far up a tower, and we saved him in the nick of time," Remus explained, regaining his breath.

"It looks as if he broke his leg, though," added Hermione. Harry noticed she was holding onto Sirius quite tightly and in an almost possessive manner.

"What if a whale just popped into existence and started to fall from the sky… Would it want to be friends with the ground?" mumbled Sirius. "Or a pot of petunias…"

"Er—Siri? Petunias and whales don't have minds to think that," Hermione said slowly. "Ah ha! We're here. Madam Pomfrey. Madam Pomfrey!" A young nurse came bustling out of her office a second later. "Sirius just fell from the top of a tower and we think he hit his head and broke his leg."

"Bring him in immediately," snapped Pomfrey.

Before anyone could do anything, Sirius lifted up his head, looked at Remus and said, "You pretty, but not as pretty as her." He looked at Hermione, smiled, and fell unconscious.

"Good," said Pomfrey. "It's better and easier to deal with him when he's out. Come on!" she said to Remus and Hermione. "Bring him in."

Remus and Hermione struggled to lift him onto a bed in the corner. Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn around Sirius's bed while Harry and Remus helped Sirius into some pajamas Madam Pomfrey lent him. Hermione was talking to the nurse while waiting.

"Is he going to have to stay the night?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe so, since it's already late in the night. Might as well," Madam Pomfrey said. "Are you two done yet?"

The curtains drew back and Sirius was still unconscious, but now in a pair of red and white striped pajamas. Madam Pomfrey bustled in with a potion in her hand. "Now I want you three out of here. Now!" Remus and Harry scuttled out of the room at once. Hermione lightly took Sirius's hand and kissed it before hurrying after them.

That night, Sirius dreamed that the Earth had been made by mice, and forty-two was the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. It was a bizarre dream, indeed.

A/N: So… I bet you all are just dying to find out my perfectly good excuse, eh? Well, I guess I'll start by saying I was completely sick during the middle of February, which was also my birthday (which is another excuse). And :sniff: worst of all :sniff: my laptop broke down:cries eyeballs out: Yes, my faithful laptop (which I named Apocalypse) died on me half way through chapter 26. And you must understand that I type much better than I write with a pad and paper (though I had to resort to that for awhile). So I had to rewrite chapter 26 on an old laptop…. And that was more information than you all wanted to hear, wasn't it? I could've just said that things weren't working out…

So… onto that challenge I had at my last update. Billy Shears is Ringo Starr's almost alternate personality, but some people believe that he was Paul McCartney's double when he died (which he didn't). And Billy Shears is part of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (sang by the Beatles) and he "sings" With A Little Help From My Friends. Congrats:

Lady Criquette, pieceocake, tynwfiel, Skittles, and Jenny H. Page. You all receive 62,442 bonus points and 9 ¾ points. You can add those up if you like. I'm kinda in a rush now.

I would go and thank each and every one of you for reading and reviewing this story (not to mention putting up with me for this long), but I'm sure you all are just dying to read my story as soon as possible, so I won't. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!